Field
Aspects disclosed herein relate to systems and methods for semiconductor manufacturing, and more specifically to systems and methods for in-situ particle detection.
Description of the Related Art
In semiconductor manufacturing, a clean, contamination-free processing environment contributes to maximizing overall process yield. This is particularly true as substrate circuitry and geometries shrink to a nanometer (nm) scale since particles become more likely to cause defects and yield loss. Particle detection in each of the processing environments within the processing system, including the factory interface (FI), helps reduce or eliminate particle contaminants in the system. Conventional particle detection methods for the FI include use of a handheld particle detection device.
One problem with the use of a handheld particle detection device is that detection only occurs when the FI is open, for example, at initial installation or during preventative maintenance. Additionally, since the particle detection readings are infrequent, identifying the source of the particle contamination and troubleshooting the problem takes a great amount of time, during which the system is down and other sensors in the FI may not be operating.
Therefore, there is a need for improved systems and methods for particle monitoring in an FI.